A Statement of Setting a Good Example (And About The Dark Knight)

Having just told Lady Liberty to write in her blog, it seemed to prudent to follow my own advice.

Earlier this week, one of the best films of the year, The Dark Knight, was released on DVD, BluRay, etc, etc, etc.  I have watched it twice.  Because that's what I do.

Having seen the film in the theater later in its run (I was in London when it opened in the US, and came home the day it opened in the UK, natch), I was able to sneak into an uncrowded screening, have a row to myself, and settle into one of the most creepy and delectable performances in recent memory; the overshadowing and brilliant job done by Heath Ledger is a true tribute to a man who will never again grace the big screen.  The decayed makeup, the incessant tongue-action, that walk, are all marks of an amazing performance, one of a thoughtful and talented actor.  Let it not go unsaid that this was the loss of a man who could have been his generation's greatest performer.

At the time I found the film excellent, but long and slightly overwrought by the end (we love you, Harvey Dent... they couldn't give you your own movie?  Seriously?), and as was expected of everyone, I focused mainly on Ledger's performance in the initial viewing.

So... these second and third viewings.

Make things much more digestible.  On the small screen the Joker and the stunts and the intensity are of course lessened, but not to the extent that they become ineffective.  It also gives the viewer a chance to concentrate more on the story, which is less overwhelming when you can focus on it.  Batman has limits.  The Joker doesn't.  This is the message buried deep beneath the mob hits, the explosions, and the breathless trips to Hong Kong.

Batman might be a vigilante, but he is a good vigilante.  And just when he realizes what he "would have to become" in order to beat men like the Joker, we begin to fear that that's what will happen; he will break his own rules out of heartbreak, anger, and sheer irritation at this guy who just won't quit.

In the end, though, he reassures us that this will never happen; he takes the blame for the kidnapping of Commissioner Gordon's family, and the death of Dent.  He puts himself in harm's way and goes on the lam to prove to himself, and to us, that he is the Dark Knight.  Gallant and true, and willing to do what it takes.

So watch it again, ok?

(This can also be done late in January, when it is re-released in the theaters as a run-up to the Oscars.  Another chance for big-screen excitement!  Hooray!)